Battleship Cove ceremony pays tribute to lives lost on 9/11

It was all too fitting that, in Fall River at least, Wednesday morning would feel similar to that fateful morning of Sept. 11, 2001. The sun shined brightly, with just a few wispy clouds in the sky. The morning air was still slightly crisp at 8:30 a.m., and gradually warmed through...

It was all too fitting that, in Fall River at least, Wednesday morning would feel similar to that fateful morning of Sept. 11, 2001.

The sun shined brightly, with just a few wispy clouds in the sky.

The morning air was still slightly crisp at 8:30 a.m., and gradually warmed throughout the ceremony in which local elected officials, members of the Fall River Fire Department and others paid tribute to the thousands whose lives were lost 12 years ago.

Speakers at the ceremony, near the Sept. 11 Memorial at Battleship Cove, spoke of those acts, as well as the bombings at the Boston Marathon less than six months ago.

“Today began with a beautiful, sun-drenched sky,” Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson told the gathering. “You couldn’t help but think, if you cleared the workload early, you might be able to steal more time to enjoy a picture-perfect day.

“But,” Hodgson continued, “those uplifting thoughts would be shattered early in the day by evil men whose hearts were filled with anger and a mission to transform the beauty of life into a hellfire of death.

“Armageddon previewed off Broadway that morning,” Hodgson said.

It was a “clear act of war,” he said. “Let us be mindful of the ever-present danger. And remember the families who were left behind, all of whom spent days and months at ground zero.”

Speaking at the ceremony, Brendan Lund recalled that day vividly. He was a recent college graduate at the time and was starting a new job at Merrill-Lynch. It was right near the Trade Center site. Lund, a Swansea native, said the events that unfolded forever changed how he viewed the world.

He had just moved to New Jersey and was living aboard a boat at the time. That morning, he awoke at 6 a.m., hoping to get to work early.

However, he missed the ferry. Lund said he took the Jersey path train from Jersey City to Manhattan. He would find out later that it was the last train to run that day.

The sights and sounds he saw and heard after stepping aboard the subway platform at the World Trade Center shortly before 9 a.m. “forever shaped the way I look at the world,” Lund told the gathering.

“I think about the incredible experiences I’ve had and the people I’ve met with added emphasis," Lund said.

It started with what sounded like an explosion coming from the elevators. He later learned that the impact of the first jet crashing into the north tower severed the cables that held the cargo elevator.

“Of course, we assumed it was an accident,” Lund said. He attempted to reach his family but only able to get a hold of his older brother, Michael. He told his brother, “Listen: A plane has hit the World Trade Center. I’m OK."

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“With my hand still on the receiver, I watched a second plane go into the south tower,” Lund said. “I remember vividly checking my email that day, receiving countless messages that started off, ‘I don’t know if you’ll ever read this.’"

“Days later, I had the opportunity to witness the absolute worst of humanity and the absolute best, as I dug for remains at ground zero,” Hodgson said. “I know my days digging in vain for survivors will be a part of my life for as long as I live.”

“That terrorist act was meant to change freedom into fear, but instead it strengthened our resolve,” said Carl Sawejko, president of Battleship Cove. “Today we only have to look back to the month of April to see that terrorism still exists.